12 career tips for better cover letters

Some of the advice may sound familiar, but based on the applications the author is seeing, there are plenty of green job-seekers out there who could use these pointers. (Getty Images) (Robert Daly)

Over the last five years, I've read something like 500 applications for entry-level media jobs. Over time, I've spotted many talented people, including a number of recent college graduates who are now valued Slate employees. Slate is a small company, so when it's time to make a hire, a list of three great HR-approved candidates does not magically appear on my desk. I write the ads and read all of the responses myself — and after scaling mountains of cover letters I've developed some opinions I can no longer hold back.

The most important one is this: Many young people seem to have no idea how to apply for a job. What I see time after time from young media hopefuls are not the classic no-nos, like misspellings and typos, but what appears to be a fundamental lack of understanding of how to sell oneself to a prospective employer. While I certainly don't speak for all media folk or even all of the editors at Slate, allow me to offer some guidance to current college students and recent grads. Some of my advice may sound familiar, but based on the applications I'm seeing, there are plenty of green job-seekers out there who could use these pointers.

Introductions like "With this statement, I declare my interest in the position you have advertised on your website" are clumsy and should be avoided. Start with a strong but simple opener, like "I'm excited to be writing to you to apply for the blogging position at Slate." Conversational is much better than stilted.

You are your best advocate.

It's not uncommon for me to get a cover letter that opens with, "I am sure you are getting many qualified applicants for this job, many of whom are more qualified than I." If you don't believe you are the best candidate, why should I? This letter is your chance to sell yourself. Don't plant the seed in my mind that you aren't the best candidate for the job. You don't want to be overly cocky, but I'll take confident over meek any day.

Show me that you read my site.

It's common for cover letter writers to say, "I love Slate," but that doesn't stand out to me. Be more specific. Who are your favorite writers? What are some recent articles you enjoyed? Detailed flattery will get you further, because it shows you've done your homework. Ninety percent of the cover letters I read for our news blog, the Slatest, mention nothing specific about that particular blog. Here's what one applicant for a recent position wrote (spoiler: I hired him): "I'm particularly drawn to a dynamic news outlet like the Slatest. I appreciate its blend of politics and current affairs, as well as its ability to consistently sniff out the most compelling news pieces and narratives. I dig its sense of humor, too — I can't resist a news blog that picks up on the latest North Korean, pigeon-eating propaganda pieces."

Here's how one candidate convinced me that his skills were pertinent to the role I was hiring for: "From my editorial experience as managing editor of 34th Street Magazine here at Penn, to my experience in news and culture blogging at LAist.com last summer, I've picked up the tools I need to perform as a Slatest intern with excellence."

I'm not interested in anything you did before college.

Leave anecdotes like this out: "I am a born storyteller, and I've loved writing ever since I won an award for playwriting in the third grade for my series of puppet fairytales." If you are early in your college career, then hopefully you still have relevant experiences and interests to write about. If you don't, know that you'll be competing with upperclassmen, college grads and graduate students who do.

I'm not interested in your life journeys.

This includes your experiences studying abroad, even if you had an amazing time. I get too many letters with paragraphs like: "I've wondered to myself, how can I translate my natural talent for the written word into a life path that is interesting and meaningful? I asked myself this question many times during my study abroad in Morocco. I loved working with the Moroccan farmers in helping feed their families, but I also longed for a way to feed my own passions for books, literature and writing. As I enter my senior year, I think more and more that my true calling could be to be a journalist." Save these musings for late night dorm room chats with your best friend.

When I read "senior thesis" my eyes glaze over.

Despite the fact your academic advisers have convinced you these are really important, most people don't care about them in the real world. Be wary of dwelling on what your topic is and PLEASE do not attach a chapter with your application. Writing a senior thesis has nothing to do with journalism. I'll never open it, and I'll resent you for sending it.

I don't really care what classes you've taken, either.

I'm much more interested in what you've done that relates to the skills needed for the position than I am in what you've studied. An interesting Tumblr account, a vibrant Twitter presence, or a personal blog on a topic you are passionate about is 10 times more compelling to me than your course load.

Your college and GPA aren't as important as you think.

This may be the biggest blow to you, grasshopper. In general, I don't care about your GPA or whether you went to an Ivy League school, so definitely don't expect this alone to swing open any doors for you. Of all the entry-level people I've hired, the one that went on to have the most successful career in media never finished college. If you are still in college, you should mention where you go and what you study. But the further out of college you are, the less I want to hear about where you went or how you did there.

Follow the application instructions to a T.

I often give really specific instructions in the job posting, listing a word limit on cover letters, requesting exactly two writing samples, and noting a firm deadline for when applications are due. This is my first test in how good you are at taking direction. If you send four writing samples rather than two, that doesn't make me think you are overqualified, it makes me think you can't edit yourself or aren't good at doing what is asked of you. Small mistakes like this help me figure out whom to eliminate, so tread carefully.

If you follow these instructions, you should have a good shot at making it to the top of the pile. It might not be long before you're on the other side of the desk, reading cover letters yourself. Good luck.